Electronic device and method of detecting status of battery thereof

ABSTRACT

An electronic device includes a housing configured to form at least a portion of an outer surface of the electronic device; a battery disposed inside the housing; a circuit board disposed inside the housing; a gas sensor module including at least one gas sensor and mounted in the circuit board; and at least one wall disposed adjacent to the gas sensor module, wherein in the at least one wall, a first opening configured to introduce a gas leaked from the battery and a second opening configured to introduce air outside the electronic device are formed.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of application Ser. No. 16/252,057,filed Jan. 18, 2019, now U.S. Pat. No. 11,158,885, which is based on andclaims priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119 to Korean Patent Application No.10-2018-0007209, filed on Jan. 19, 2018, in the Korean IntellectualProperty Office, the disclosures of which are incorporated by referenceherein in their entirety.

BACKGROUND 1. Field

Various embodiments of the present disclosure relate to an electronicdevice and a method of detecting a status of a battery thereof, and moreparticularly, to an electronic device and a method of detecting a statusof a battery thereof using a sensor and notifying a user of the batterystatus.

2. Description of the Related Art

Use of various electronic devices such as a smart phone, tablet personalcomputer (PC), portable multimedia player (PMP), personal digitalassistant (PDA), laptop PC, wrist watch, and wearable device such as ahead-mounted display (HMD) has been increased, and various functions maybe performed through various electronic devices.

Various electronic devices may include batteries that provide power toperform various functions.

As electronic devices perform various functions, a capacity and rapidcharge of a battery are becoming important problems. The battery mayhave different types and different environmental characteristicsaccording to the use purpose of each of the electronic devices. As anelectrolyte is decomposed because of overcharge, exposure to a hightemperature, and an internal short circuit, the battery may generate agas or may be ruptured.

SUMMARY

The present disclosure provides a structure of an electronic device thatcan detect a gas generated in a battery using a sensor.

The present disclosure further provides a method of controlling anelectronic device by detecting a gas generated in a battery.

The present disclosure further provides an electronic device that canprovide log information by detecting an abnormal event of a battery.

In accordance with an aspect of the present disclosure, an electronicdevice includes a housing configured to form at least a portion of anouter surface of the electronic device; a battery disposed inside thehousing; a circuit board disposed inside the housing; a gas sensormodule including at least one gas sensor and mounted in the circuitboard; and at least one wall disposed adjacent to the gas sensor module,wherein in the at least one wall, a first opening configured tointroduce a gas leaked from the battery and a second opening configuredto introduce air outside the electronic device are formed.

In accordance with another aspect of the present disclosure, anelectronic device includes a housing configured to form at least aportion of an outer surface of the electronic device and to form a firstspace therein; a battery disposed inside the housing; a circuit boarddisposed inside the housing; and a gas sensor module including at leastone gas sensor and mounted in the circuit board, wherein the housingincludes a first opening including a second space disposed in at least aportion of the first space and configured to dispose the battery withinthe second space and to introduce a gas leaked from the battery into atleast a portion of the second space; and a second opening configured tointroduce outdoor air into the electronic device in at least a portionthereof, and wherein the gas sensor is disposed in a partial area of thefirst space, except for the second space.

In accordance with another aspect of the present disclosure, anelectronic device includes a housing configured to form at least aportion of an outer surface of the electronic device and to form a spacetherein; a battery disposed inside the housing; a circuit board disposedinside the housing; and a gas sensor module including at least one gassensor and mounted in the circuit board, wherein the housing includes avent configured to introduce outdoor air into the electronic device; abattery chamber containing the battery; a hole disposed in at least aportion of the battery chamber and configured to introduce a gas leakedfrom the battery; and a cavity disposed between the battery chamber andthe vent, wherein the gas sensor is disposed inside the cavity.

Definitions for certain words and phrases are provided throughout thispatent document, those of ordinary skill in the art should understandthat in many, if not most instances, such definitions apply to prior, aswell as future uses of such defined words and phrases.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The objects, features, and advantages of the present disclosure will bemore apparent from the following detailed description in conjunctionwith the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 illustrates a block diagram of a configuration of an electronicdevice in a network environment according to various embodiments;

FIG. 2 illustrates a diagram of a structure capable of detecting abattery status of an electronic device according to various embodimentsof the present disclosure;

FIG. 3 illustrates a diagram of a structure capable of detecting abattery status of an electronic device according to various embodimentsof the present disclosure;

FIG. 4 illustrates a flowchart of a method of detecting a battery statusaccording to various embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 5 illustrates a graph of a resistance value of a gas that can bedetected by an electronic device according to various embodiments of thepresent disclosure; and

FIG. 6 illustrates a diagram of an operation in which an electronicdevice notifies a user of a battery abnormal operation according tovarious embodiments of the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIGS. 1 through 6, discussed below, and the various embodiments used todescribe the principles of the present disclosure in this patentdocument are by way of illustration only and should not be construed inany way to limit the scope of the disclosure. Those skilled in the artwill understand that the principles of the present disclosure may beimplemented in any suitably arranged system or device.

FIG. 1 illustrates a block diagram of an electronic device 101 in anetwork environment 100 according to various embodiments. Referring toFIG. 1, the electronic device 101 in the network environment 100 maycommunicate with an electronic device 102 via a first network 198 (e.g.,a short-range wireless communication network), or an electronic device104 or a server 108 via a second network 199 (e.g., a long-rangewireless communication network). According to an embodiment, theelectronic device 101 may communicate with the electronic device 104 viathe server 108. According to an embodiment, the electronic device 101may include a processor 120, memory 130, an input device 150, a soundoutput device 155, a display device 160, an audio module 170, a sensormodule 176, an interface 177, a haptic module 179, a camera module 180,a power management module 188, a battery 189, a communication module190, a subscriber identification module (SIM) 196, or an antenna module197. In some embodiments, at least one (e.g., the display device 160 orthe camera module 180) of the components may be omitted from theelectronic device 101, or one or more other components may be added inthe electronic device 101. In some embodiments, some of the componentsmay be implemented as single integrated circuitry. For example, thesensor module 176 (e.g., a fingerprint sensor, an iris sensor, or anilluminance sensor) may be implemented as embedded in the display device160 (e.g., a display).

The processor 120 may execute, for example, software (e.g., a program140) to control at least one other component (e.g., a hardware orsoftware component) of the electronic device 101 coupled with theprocessor 120 and may perform various data processing or computation.According to one embodiment, as at least part of the data processing orcomputation, the processor 120 may load a command or data received fromanother component (e.g., the sensor module 176 or the communicationmodule 190) in volatile memory 132, process the command or the datastored in the volatile memory 132, and store resulting data innon-volatile memory 134. According to an embodiment, the processor 120may include a main processor 121 (e.g., a central processing unit (CPU)or an application processor (AP)), and an auxiliary processor 123 (e.g.,a graphics processing unit (GPU), an image signal processor (ISP), asensor hub processor, or a communication processor (CP)) that isoperable independently from, or in conjunction with, the main processor121. Additionally, or alternatively, the auxiliary processor 123 may beadapted to consume less power than the main processor 121, or to bespecific to a specified function. The auxiliary processor 123 may beimplemented as separate from, or as part of the main processor 121.

The auxiliary processor 123 may control at least some of functions orstates related to at least one component (e.g., the display device 160,the sensor module 176, or the communication module 190) among thecomponents of the electronic device 101, instead of the main processor121 while the main processor 121 is in an inactive (e.g., sleep) state,or together with the main processor 121 while the main processor 121 isin an active state (e.g., executing an application). According to anembodiment, the auxiliary processor 123 (e.g., an image signal processoror a communication processor) may be implemented as part of anothercomponent (e.g., the camera module 180 or the communication module 190)functionally related to the auxiliary processor 123.

The memory 130 may store various data used by at least one component(e.g., the processor 120 or the sensor module 176) of the electronicdevice 101. The various data may include, for example, software (e.g.,the program 140) and input data or output data for a command relatedthereto. The memory 130 may include the volatile memory 132 or thenon-volatile memory 134.

The program 140 may be stored in the memory 130 as software, and mayinclude, for example, an operating system (OS) 142, middleware 144, oran application 146.

The input device 150 may receive a command or data to be used by othercomponent (e.g., the processor 120) of the electronic device 101, fromthe outside (e.g., a user) of the electronic device 101. The inputdevice 150 may include, for example, a microphone, a mouse, or akeyboard.

The sound output device 155 may output sound signals to the outside ofthe electronic device 101. The sound output device 155 may include, forexample, a speaker or a receiver. The speaker may be used for generalpurposes, such as playing multimedia or playing record, and the receivermay be used for incoming calls. According to an embodiment, the receivermay be implemented as separate from, or as part of the speaker.

The display device 160 may visually provide information to the outside(e.g., a user) of the electronic device 101. The display device 160 mayinclude, for example, a display, a hologram device, or a projector andcontrol circuitry to control a corresponding one of the display,hologram device, and projector. According to an embodiment, the displaydevice 160 may include touch circuitry adapted to detect a touch, orsensor circuitry (e.g., a pressure sensor) adapted to measure theintensity of force incurred by the touch.

The audio module 170 may convert a sound into an electrical signal andvice versa. According to an embodiment, the audio module 170 may obtainthe sound via the input device 150 or output the sound via the soundoutput device 155 or a headphone of an external electronic device (e.g.,an electronic device 102) directly (e.g., wired) or wirelessly coupledwith the electronic device 101.

The sensor module 176 may detect an operational state (e.g., power ortemperature) of the electronic device 101 or an environmental state(e.g., a state of a user) external to the electronic device 101, andthen generate an electrical signal or data value corresponding to thedetected state. According to an embodiment, the sensor module 176 mayinclude, for example, a gesture sensor, a gyro sensor, an atmosphericpressure sensor, a magnetic sensor, an acceleration sensor, a gripsensor, a proximity sensor, a color sensor, an infrared (IR) sensor, abiometric sensor, a temperature sensor, a humidity sensor, or anilluminance sensor.

The interface 177 may support one or more specified protocols to be usedfor the electronic device 101 to be coupled with the external electronicdevice (e.g., the electronic device 102) directly (e.g., wired) orwirelessly. According to an embodiment, the interface 177 may include,for example, a high definition multimedia interface (HDMI), a universalserial bus (USB) interface, a secure digital (SD) card interface, or anaudio interface.

A connecting terminal 178 may include a connector via which theelectronic device 101 may be physically connected with the externalelectronic device (e.g., the electronic device 102). According to anembodiment, the connecting terminal 178 may include, for example, a HDMIconnector, a USB connector, a SD card connector, or an audio connector(e.g., a headphone connector),

The haptic module 179 may convert an electrical signal into a mechanicalstimulus (e.g., a vibration or a movement) or electrical stimulus whichmay be recognized by a user via his tactile sensation or kinestheticsensation. According to an embodiment, the haptic module 179 mayinclude, for example, a motor, a piezoelectric element, or an electricstimulator.

The camera module 180 may capture a still image or moving images.According to an embodiment, the camera module 180 may include one ormore lenses, image sensors, image signal processors, or flashes.

The power management module 188 may manage power supplied to theelectronic device 101. According to one embodiment, the power managementmodule 188 may be implemented as at least part of, for example, a powermanagement integrated circuit (PMIC).

The battery 189 may supply power to at least one component of theelectronic device 101. According to an embodiment, the battery 189 mayinclude, for example, a primary cell which is not rechargeable, asecondary cell which is rechargeable, or a fuel cell.

The communication module 190 may support establishing a direct (e.g.,wired) communication channel or a wireless communication channel betweenthe electronic device 101 and the external electronic device (e.g., theelectronic device 102, the electronic device 104, or the server 108) andperforming communication via the established communication channel. Thecommunication module 190 may include one or more communicationprocessors that are operable independently from the processor 120 (e.g.,the application processor (AP)) and supports a direct (e.g., wired)communication or a wireless communication. According to an embodiment,the communication module 190 may include a wireless communication module192 (e.g., a cellular communication module, a short-range wirelesscommunication module, or a global navigation satellite system (GNSS)communication module) or a wired communication module 194 (e.g., a localarea network (LAN) communication module or a power line communication(PLC) module). A corresponding one of these communication modules maycommunicate with the external electronic device via the first network198 (e.g., a short-range communication network, such as Bluetooth™,wireless-fidelity (Wi-Fi) direct, or infrared data association (IrDA))or the second network 199 (e.g., a long-range communication network,such as a cellular network, the Internet, or a computer network (e.g.,LAN or wide area network (WAN)). These various types of communicationmodules may be implemented as a single component (e.g., a single chip),or may be implemented as multi components (e.g., multi chips) separatefrom each other. The wireless communication module 192 may identify andauthenticate the electronic device 101 in a communication network, suchas the first network 198 or the second network 199, using subscriberinformation (e.g., international mobile subscriber identity (IMSI))stored in the subscriber identification module 196.

The antenna module 197 may transmit or receive a signal or power to orfrom the outside (e.g., the external electronic device) of theelectronic device 101. According to an embodiment, the antenna module197 may include one or more antennas, and, therefrom, at least oneantenna appropriate for a communication scheme used in the communicationnetwork, such as the first network 198 or the second network 199, may beselected, for example, by the communication module 190 (e.g., thewireless communication module 192). The signal or the power may then betransmitted or received between the communication module 190 and theexternal electronic device via the selected at least one antenna.

At least some of the above-described components may be coupled mutuallyand communicate signals (e.g., commands or data) therebetween via aninter-peripheral communication scheme (e.g., a bus, general purposeinput and output (GPIO), serial peripheral interface (SPI), or mobileindustry processor interface (MIPI)).

According to an embodiment, commands or data may be transmitted orreceived between the electronic device 101 and the external electronicdevice 104 via the server 108 coupled with the second network 199. Eachof the electronic devices 102 and 104 may be a device of a same type as,or a different type, from the electronic device 101. According to anembodiment, all or some of operations to be executed at the electronicdevice 101 may be executed at one or more of the external electronicdevices 102, 104, or 108. For example, if the electronic device 101should perform a function or a service automatically, or in response toa request from a user or another device, the electronic device 101,instead of, or in addition to, executing the function or the service,may request the one or more external electronic devices to perform atleast part of the function or the service. The one or more externalelectronic devices receiving the request may perform at least part ofthe function or the service requested, or an additional function or anadditional service related to the request, and transfer an outcome ofthe performing to the electronic device 101. The electronic device 101may provide the outcome, with or without further processing of theoutcome, as at least part of a reply to the request. To that end, acloud computing, distributed computing, or client-server computingtechnology may be used, for example.

The electronic device according to various embodiments may be one ofvarious types of electronic devices. The electronic devices may include,for example, a portable communication device (e.g., a smart phone), acomputer device, a portable multimedia device, a portable medicaldevice, a camera, a wearable device, or a home appliance. According toan embodiment of the disclosure, the electronic devices are not limitedto those described above.

It should be appreciated that various embodiments of the presentdisclosure and the terms used therein are not intended to limit thetechnological features set forth herein to particular embodiments andinclude various changes, equivalents, or replacements for acorresponding embodiment. With regard to the description of thedrawings, similar reference numerals may be used to refer to similar orrelated elements. It is to be understood that a singular form of a nouncorresponding to an item may include one or more of the things, unlessthe relevant context clearly indicates otherwise. As used herein, eachof such phrases as “A or B,” “at least one of A and B,” “at least one ofA or B,” “A, B, or C,” “at least one of A, B, and C,” and “at least oneof A, B, or C,” may include all possible combinations of the itemsenumerated together in a corresponding one of the phrases. As usedherein, such terms as “1^(st)” and “2nd,” or “first” and “second” may beused to simply distinguish a corresponding component from another anddoes not limit the components in other aspect (e.g., importance ororder). It is to be understood that if an element (e.g., a firstelement) is referred to, with or without the term “operatively” or“communicatively”, as “coupled with,” “coupled to,” “connected with,” or“connected to” another element (e.g., a second element), it means thatthe element may be coupled with the other element directly (e.g.,wired), wirelessly, or via a third element.

As used herein, the term “module” may include a unit implemented inhardware, software, or firmware, and may interchangeably be used withother terms, for example, “logic,” “logic block,” “part,” or“circuitry”. A module may be a single integral component, or a minimumunit or part thereof, adapted to perform one or more functions. Forexample, according to an embodiment, the module may be implemented in aform of an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC).

Various embodiments as set forth herein may be implemented as software(e.g., the program 140) including one or more instructions that arestored in a storage medium (e.g., internal memory 136 or external memory138) that is readable by a machine (e.g., the electronic device 101).For example, a processor (e.g., the processor 120) of the machine (e.g.,the electronic device 101) may invoke at least one of the one or moreinstructions stored in the storage medium, and execute it, with orwithout using one or more other components under the control of theprocessor. This allows the machine to be operated to perform at leastone function according to the at least one instruction invoked. The oneor more instructions may include a code generated by a complier or acode executable by an interpreter. The machine-readable storage mediummay be provided in the form of a non-transitory storage medium. Wherein,the term “non-transitory” simply means that the storage medium is atangible device, and does not include a signal (e.g., an electromagneticwave), but this term does not differentiate between where data issemi-permanently stored in the storage medium and where the data istemporarily stored in the storage medium.

According to an embodiment, a method according to various embodiments ofthe disclosure may be included and provided in a computer programproduct. The computer program product may be traded as a product betweena seller and a buyer. The computer program product may be distributed inthe form of a machine-readable storage medium (e.g., compact disc readonly memory (CD-ROM)), or be distributed (e.g., downloaded or uploaded)online via an application store (e.g., Play Store™), or between two userdevices (e.g., smart phones) directly. If distributed online, at leastpart of the computer program product may be temporarily generated or atleast temporarily stored in the machine-readable storage medium, such asmemory of the manufacturer's server, a server of the application store,or a relay server.

According to various embodiments, each component (e.g., a module or aprogram) of the above-described components may include a single entityor multiple entities. According to various embodiments, one or more ofthe above-described components may be omitted, or one or more othercomponents may be added. Alternatively, or additionally, a plurality ofcomponents (e.g., modules or programs) may be integrated into a singlecomponent. In such a case, according to various embodiments, theintegrated component may still perform one or more functions of each ofthe plurality of components in the same or similar manner as they areperformed by a corresponding one of the plurality of components beforethe integration. According to various embodiments, operations performedby the module, the program, or another component may be carried outsequentially, in parallel, repeatedly, or heuristically, or one or moreof the operations may be executed in a different order or omitted, orone or more other operations may be added.

FIG. 2 illustrates a diagram of a structure capable of detecting abattery status of an electronic device 101 according to variousembodiments of the present disclosure.

According to various embodiments, the electronic device 101 may includea housing 210, a battery chamber 220, and at least one of cavities 231and 232.

The housing 210 may include, for example, a bezel structure at a sideportion thereof. The housing 210 may include at least one of vents 211and 212.

At least one of the vents 211 and 212 is an element for adjusting adifference in atmospheric pressure between the inside and the outside ofthe housing 210 of the electronic device 101 and may include a foreignsubstance prevention structure for preventing a foreign substance frombeing entered from the outside and for smooth air circulation. A foreignsubstance prevention structure contained in at least one of the vents211 and 212 may include a membrane structure using waterproof fabric(e.g., GORE-TEX®).

At least one of the vents 211 and 212 may be included in at least aportion of the housing 210 and may include, for example, a microphonehole, speaker hole, and connector hole (e.g., a universal serial bus(USB) and an earphone jack).

At least one of the vents 211 and 212 is an element for reducing adifference in atmospheric pressure between outdoor air and indoor airand may be punched or molded separately from the microphone hole, thespeaker hole, and the connector hole upon producing.

At least one of the vents 211 and 212 may be disposed adjacent to thecamera module 180.

At least one of the vents 211 and 212 may be connected to at least oneof the cavities 231 and 232, respectively.

At least one of the cavities 231 and 232 may be disposed inside thehousing 210, and at least one of sensor modules 241 and 242 may bedisposed on at least one of the cavities 231 and 232, respectively.

At least one of the cavities 231 and 232 may include at least one wallforming a space.

Each of at least one of the sensor modules 241 and 242 may include atleast one gas sensor (shown in FIG. 3).

At least one gas sensor may include a metal oxide (MOX) sensor. At leastone gas sensor may be disposed in a partial space of at least one of thecavities 231 and 232 to measure a gas discharged from a battery 189disposed within the housing 210 or air entered from the outside of anelectronic device (not shown) through at least one of the vents 211 and212.

Each of at least one of the sensor modules 241 and 242 may furtherinclude an atmospheric pressure sensor (not shown).

At least one of the cavities 231 and 232 may be partially connected toat least one of the vents 211 and 212, respectively and may be partiallyconnected to a hole 250.

The hole 250 may be disposed at least partially in the battery chamber220. The hole 250 disposed at least partially in the battery chamber 220may be a passage of a gas discharged from a battery 189. The hole 250may be punched or shaped upon producing the electronic device 101.

At least one of the cavities 231 and 232 may collect a gas dischargedfrom the hole 250 to enable at least one gas sensor to analyze thecollected gas and provide a space to discharge the collected gas to theoutside through at least one of the vents 211 and 212.

The battery chamber 220 may be disposed inside or in at least a portionof the housing 210, and the battery chamber 220 may be separated from atleast a portion of the battery 189 to protect the battery 189.

The battery chamber 220 may dispose the battery 189 on an inner spaceand separate the battery 189 from other devices included in theelectronic device 101.

The battery chamber 220 may be a portion of the housing 210 of theelectronic device 101 configured with a bracket.

The battery chamber 220 may include at least one wall forming a space.

The battery chamber 220 may include a hole 250 in at least a portionthereof, and a gas discharged from the battery 189 through the hole 250may be transferred to the at least one of the cavities 231 and 232.

The hole 250, at least one of the cavities 231 and 232, and at least oneof the vents 211 and 212 included in at least a portion of the batterychamber 220 may have a duct structure that can discharge a gasdischarged from the battery 189 to the outside. The hole 250 or at leastone of the vents 211 and 212 may be referred to as an opening.

FIG. 3 illustrates a diagram of a structure capable of detecting abattery status of an electronic device 101 according to variousembodiments of the present disclosure.

According to various embodiments, the electronic device 101 may includea housing 210, battery chamber 220, and cavity 231.

The housing 210 may include electronic components, a battery 189, and agas sensor 311 related to the electronic device 101 therein. The housing210 may include at least one of the vents 212 and 213.

At least one of the vents 212 and 213 is an element for adjusting adifference in atmospheric pressure between the inside and the outside ofthe housing 201 of the electronic device 101 and may include a foreignsubstance prevention structure 330 for preventing a foreign substancefrom being entered from the outside and for smooth air communication.The foreign substance prevention structure 330 included in at least oneof the vents 212 and 213 may include a membrane structure usingwaterproof fabric (e.g., GORE-TEX®), and the like.

At least one of the vents 212 and 213 may be formed (or disposed) in aportion of the housing 210 and may include, for example, a microphonehole, speaker hole, and connector hole (e.g., USB and earphone jack).

At least one of the vents 212 and 213 is an element for reducing adifference in atmospheric pressure between outdoor air and indoor airand may be punched or shaped in a portion of the housing 210 separatelyfrom the microphone hole, the speaker hole, and the connector hole uponproducing.

At least one of the vents 212 and 213 may be disposed adjacent to acamera module 180.

For example, the first vent 212 may be disposed through a portion of thehousing 210 adjacent to the camera module 180 or may be formed in atleast a portion of the housing 210 including the camera module 180.

The second vent 213 may include, for example, a microphone hole, speakerhole, and connector hole (e.g., USB and earphone jack).

The second vent 213 may be formed (or disposed) in the form of, forexample, a microphone hole, speaker hole, and connector hole (e.g., USBand earphone jack) in a portion of the housing 210. At least one of thevents 212 and 213 may be connected to the cavity 231.

The cavity 231 may be disposed inside the housing 210, and a sensormodule (e.g., 241 of FIG. 2) may be disposed in at least one cavity 231.The sensor module (e.g., 241 of FIG. 2) may include a gas sensor 311and/or an atmospheric pressure sensor 312. The gas sensor 311 may detectand analyze a gas discharged from the battery 189. The gas sensor 311may transfer the detected and analyzed gas information to the processor120. The atmospheric pressure sensor 312 may measure an atmosphericpressure using air outside the housing 210 entered through at least oneof the vents 212 and 213.

The gas sensor 311 may be a metal oxide (MOX) sensor. The gas sensor 311may be disposed in a partial space of the cavity 231 to measurecomponents contained in a gas discharged from the battery 189 disposedinside the housing 210 or air entered from the outside of the electronicdevice 101 through at least one of the vents 212 and 213.

A portion of the cavity 231 may be connected to at least one of thevents 212 and 213 and may be connected to a hole 250.

The hole 250 may be formed in at least a portion of the battery chamber220. The hole 250 formed in at least a portion of the battery chamber220 may be a passage for the gas discharged from the battery 189. Thehole 250 may be punched or shaped in at least a portion of the housing210 upon producing the electronic device 101.

The cavity 231 may collect a gas discharged from the hole 250 to enableat least one gas sensor 311 to analyze the collected gas and provide aspace to enable the collected gas to be discharged outside through atleast one of the vents 212 and 213.

The cavity 231 may include at least one wall forming a space.

The battery chamber 220 may be disposed inside the housing 210 or in atleast a portion of the housing 210 and may be separated from at least aportion of the battery 189 to protect the battery 189.

The battery chamber 220 may dispose the battery 189 on an inner spaceand may be separated from other devices included in the electronicdevice 101.

The battery chamber 220 may be a portion of the housing 210 of theelectronic device 101 configured with a bracket.

The battery chamber 220 may include at least one wall forming a space.

The battery chamber 220 may include a hole 250 in at least a portionthereof and may transfer a gas discharged from the battery 189 to thecavity 231 through the hole 250.

The hole 250 and the cavity 231 in the battery chamber 220 and at leasta portion of the vents 212 and 213 may form a duct structure that maydischarge a gas discharged from the battery 189 to the outside. The hole250 or at least one of the vents 212 and 213 may be referred to as anopening.

FIG. 4 illustrates a flowchart of a method of detecting a battery statusaccording to various embodiments of the present disclosure.

In operation 401, the gas sensor (e.g., 311 of FIG. 3) of the electronicdevice 101 may detect whether a gas is generated.

If a gas is not generated, the process continues in operation 401.

If a gas is generated, the process continues in operation 403.

In operation 403, the processor (e.g., 120 of FIG. 1) of the electronicdevice 101 may receive gas information data from the gas sensor (e.g.,311 of FIG. 3). The operation of receiving gas information data may be,for example, an operation of receiving information on a type andconcentration of the gas contained in the gas.

In operation 405, the processor (e.g., 120 of FIG. 1) of the electronicdevice 101 may analyze gas information using gas information data.

In various embodiments, in operation 405, the gas sensor (e.g., 311 ofFIG. 3) of the electronic device 101 may analyze gas information usinggas information data.

The operation of analyzing gas information may be an operation ofanalyzing information on a type and concentration of the gas.

In operation 407, the processor (e.g., 120 of FIG. 1) of the electronicdevice 101 may determine whether a specific gas is a reference value ormore.

If a specific gas is less than a reference value, the process continuesin operation 401.

If a specific gas is a reference value or more, the process continues inoperation 409.

In various embodiments, in operation 407, the gas sensor (e.g., 311 ofFIG. 3) of the electronic device 101 may determine whether a specificgas is a reference value or more.

In various embodiments, in operation 407, if the specific gas is lessthan a reference value, the process continues in operation 401.

In various embodiments, in operation 407, if a specific gas is areference value or more, the process continues in operation 409.

In operation 407, the specific gas may be a gas discharged from thebattery 189 and may be a hydrogen (H2) gas or an organic compound gasdischarged at a high concentration when the battery 189 is in anabnormal state, and a reference value thereof may be a specificconcentration. The specific concentration may be arbitrarily determinedand may be a concentration close to an explosion threshold.

In operation 407, if the specific gas is a reference value or more, theelectronic device 101 may determine an abnormal operation of the battery189 under the control of the processor (e.g., 120 of FIG. 1).

In operation 409, the electronic device 101 may perform a designatedoperation under the control of the processor (e.g., 120 of FIG. 1).

For example, the designated operation may notify a user of an abnormaloperation of the battery 189 and update log information.

The operation of notifying the user of an abnormal operation of thebattery 189 may be, for example, an operation of displaying a messagerelated to abnormality of the battery 189 on the display device 160.

The operation of updating log information may include an operation ofperforming a photographing operation through the camera module 180. Asillustrated in FIGS. 2 and 3, when at least one vent 212 is disposedadjacent to the camera module 180, the gas passes over a window or animage sensor of the camera module 180. When the electronic device 101 isexploded or ignited because of a gas having a specific concentration ormore, a combustion gas or an ignition scene may be photographed throughthe camera module 180. The captured image may be updated as loginformation.

The log information may be a concentration and type of a gas detectedwhen an abnormal symptom is detected, a gas detection time, and theserial number of the electronic device 101.

The operation of updating log information may include at least one of anoperation of storing log information in the memory 130 of the electronicdevice 101 and an operation of transmitting log information to theserver (e.g., 108 of FIG. 1) through the communication module 190.

FIG. 5 illustrates a graph of a resistance value of a gas that can bedetected by an electronic device 101 according to various embodiments ofthe present disclosure.

X-axis is a concentration of a gas, and Y-axis is a resistance value.The higher the gas concentration, the lower the resistance value. Theelectronic device 101 may store a resistance value according to theconcentration in the memory 130 as look-up data. The processor (e.g.,120 of FIG. 1) and/or the gas sensor (e.g., 311 of FIG. 3) may performthe operation of FIG. 4 using the look-up data, which are a resistancevalue according to the concentration stored in the memory 130 of theelectronic device 101.

FIG. 6 illustrates a diagram of an operation in which an electronicdevice 101 notifies a user of an abnormal operation of a battery 189according to various embodiments of the present disclosure.

For example, when it is detected by the gas sensor 311 that aconcentration of a gas leaked from the battery 189 exceeds apredetermined threshold, the display device 160 of the electronic device101 according to various embodiments of the present disclosure maydisplay an user interface (UI) related to gas leakage to a user of theelectronic device 101 under the control of the processor 120. Forexample, the UI may include a warning such as “Turn off power becauseabnormality is detected in a battery” or “Please turn off power for moresafe use and check at a nearby service center.” According to anembodiment, when it is detected that a concentration of a gas leakedfrom the battery 189 exceeds a predetermined threshold, the processor120 may transmit the serial number of the electronic device 101 anddetected gas related information to, for example, a server (e.g., theserver 108 of FIG. 1) of a service center through the network (e.g., thesecond network 199 of FIG. 1) and turn off power of the electronicdevice 101, thereby preventing an accident to be caused by the battery189.

An electronic device according to various embodiments disclosed in thisdocument may be various types of devices. The electronic device mayinclude, for example, at least one of a portable communication device(e.g., a smart phone), computer device, portable multimedia device,portable medical device, camera, wearable device, and home appliance.The electronic device according to an embodiment of this document is notlimited to the above-described devices.

It should be understood that various embodiments of this document andterms used in the embodiments do not limit technology described in thisdocument to a specific embodiment and include various changes,equivalents, and/or replacements of a corresponding embodiment. The samereference numbers are used throughout the drawings to refer to the sameor like parts. Unless the context otherwise clearly indicates, wordsused in the singular include the plural, and the plural includes thesingular. In this document, an expression such as “A or B” and “at leastone of A or/and B”, “A, B or, C” or “at least one of A, B, or/and C” mayinclude all possible combinations of together listed items. Anexpression such as “first” and “second” used in this document mayindicate corresponding components regardless of order or importance, andsuch an expression is used for distinguishing a component from anothercomponent and does not limit corresponding components. When it isdescribed that a component (e.g., a first component) is “(functionallyor communicatively) coupled to” or is “connected to” another component(e.g., a second component), it should be understood that the componentmay be directly connected to the another component or may be connectedto the another component through another component (e.g., a thirdcomponent).

A term “module” used in this document includes a unit configured withhardware, software, or firmware and may be interchangeably used with aterm such as a logic, logic block, component, or circuit. The module maybe an integrally configured component or a minimum unit that performs atleast one function or a portion thereof. For example, the module may beconfigured with an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC).

Various embodiments of this document may be implemented with software(e.g., the program 140) including instructions stored on a machine(e.g., a computer)-readable storage medium (e.g., the internal memory136 or the external memory 138). The machine is a device that calls astored instruction from a storage medium and that may operate accordingto the called instruction and may include an electronic device (e.g.,the electronic device 101) according to disclosed embodiments. When thecommand is executed by a processor (e.g., the processor 120), theprocessor may perform a function corresponding to the command directlyor using other components under the control of the processor. Thecommand may include a code generated or executed by a compiler or aninterpreter. The machine readable storage medium may be provided in aformat of a non-transitory storage medium. Here, “non-transitory” meansthat a storage medium does not include a signal and is tangible and doesnot divide that data are semi-permanently or temporarily stored at astorage medium.

According to an embodiment, a method according to various embodimentsdisclosed in this document may be included and provided in a computerprogram product. The computer program product may be traded as a productbetween a seller and a buyer. The computer program product may bedistributed in online in a form of a machine readable storage medium(e.g., compact disc read only memory (CD-ROM) or through an applicationstore (e.g., Play Store™). In the case of online distribution, at leasta portion of the computer program product may be at least temporarilystored or temporarily generated in a storage medium such as a server ofa manufacturer, a server of an application store, or a memory of a relayserver.

Each of components (e.g., modules or programs) according to variousembodiments may be configured with a single entity or a plurality ofentities, and some subcomponents of the foregoing subcomponents may beomitted or other subcomponents may be further included in variousembodiments. Alternatively, or additionally, some components (e.g.,modules or programs) may be integrated into one entity to perform thesame or similar functions performed by each component prior tointegration. According to various embodiments, operations performed by amodule, a program, or another component may be sequentially, parallelly,repeatedly, or heuristically executed, at least some operation may beexecuted in different order or omitted, or another operation may beadded.

An electronic device 101 according to various embodiments of the presentdisclosure can detect in real time gas leakage of a battery 189occurring by exposure to a high temperature or a generated heat andcontrol a status of the battery 189, thereby preventing a safetyaccident by the battery 189.

According to various embodiments of the present disclosure, bydischarging a gas generated in the battery 189 to the outside of theelectronic device 101, stability of the battery 189 to be used by theelectronic device 101 can be secured.

According to various embodiments of the present disclosure, when anabnormal event occurs in a battery 189, the electronic device 101 canwarn a user and obtain log information about the abnormal battery event.

Although embodiments of the present disclosure have been described indetail hereinabove, it should be clearly understood that many variationsand modifications of the basic inventive concepts herein described,which may appear to those skilled in the art, will still fall within thespirit and scope of the embodiments of the present disclosure as definedin the appended claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. An electronic device, comprising: a housingconfigured to form at least a portion of an outer surface of theelectronic device; a battery disposed inside the housing; a circuitboard disposed inside the housing; a gas sensor module comprising atleast one gas sensor and mounted in the circuit board; and at least onewall disposed adjacent to the gas sensor module, wherein the at leastone wall comprises a first opening configured to introduce a gas leakedfrom the battery and a second opening configured to introduce airoutside the electronic device, wherein the gas sensor module isconfigured to detect the gas leaked from the battery introduced from thefirst opening.
 2. The electronic device of claim 1, further comprising acamera module disposed in the housing in an outward direction of theelectronic device, wherein at least one portion of the second opening isdisposed adjacent to the camera module.
 3. The electronic device ofclaim 1, wherein at least one portion of the second opening is disposedin at least one of a speaker hole, microphone hole, connector hole, andbutton.
 4. The electronic device of claim 1, further comprising aprocessor, wherein the processor is configured to: obtain a signalcorresponding to gas information obtained from the at least one gassensor; determine a status of the battery based on the signal; andperform a designated operation based on at least the determination ofthe status of the battery.
 5. The electronic device of claim 4, whereinthe processor is configured to perform an operation of updating loginformation related to the status of the battery as at least a portionof the designated operation.
 6. The electronic device of claim 4,further comprising a display, wherein the processor is configured toperform an operation of displaying information corresponding to thestatus of the battery through the display as at least a portion of thedesignated operation.
 7. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein atleast one portion of the second opening is an element for adjusting adifference in atmospheric pressure between the inside and the outside ofthe housing of the electronic device.
 8. An electronic device,comprising: a housing configured to form at least a portion of an outersurface of the electronic device and to form a first space therein; abattery disposed inside the housing; a circuit board disposed inside thehousing; and a gas sensor module comprising at least one gas sensor andmounted in the circuit board, wherein the housing further comprises: afirst opening comprising a second space disposed in at least a portionof the first space and configured to dispose the battery within thesecond space and to introduce a gas leaked from the battery into atleast a portion of the second space; and a second opening configured tointroduce outdoor air into the electronic device in at least a portionthereof, and wherein the gas sensor is configured to detect the gasleaked from the battery introduced from the first opening, and whereinthe gas sensor is disposed in a partial area of the first space, exceptfor the second space.
 9. The electronic device of claim 8, furthercomprising a camera module disposed in the housing in an outwarddirection of the electronic device, wherein the second opening isdisposed adjacent to the camera module.
 10. The electronic device ofclaim 8, wherein the second opening is disposed in at least one of aspeaker hole, microphone hole, connector hole, and button.
 11. Theelectronic device of claim 8, further comprising a processor, whereinthe processor is configured to: obtain a signal corresponding to gasinformation obtained from the at least one gas sensor; determine astatus of the battery based on the signal; and perform a designatedoperation based on at least the determination of the status of thebattery.
 12. The electronic device of claim 11, wherein the processor isconfigured to perform an operation of updating log information relatedto the status of the battery as at least a portion of the designatedoperation.
 13. The electronic device of claim 11, further comprises adisplay, wherein the processor is configured to perform an operation ofdisplaying information corresponding to the status of the batterythrough the display as at least a portion of the designated operation.14. The electronic device of claim 8, wherein at least one portion ofthe second opening is an element for adjusting a difference inatmospheric pressure between the inside and the outside of the housingof the electronic device.
 15. An electronic device, comprising: ahousing configured to form at least a portion of an outer surface of theelectronic device and to form a space therein; a battery disposed insidethe housing; a circuit board disposed inside the housing outside; and agas sensor module comprising at least one gas sensor and mounted in thecircuit board, wherein the housing comprises: a vent configured tointroduce outdoor air into the electronic device; a battery chambercontaining the battery; a hole disposed in at least a portion of thebattery chamber and configured to introduce a gas leaked from thebattery; and a cavity disposed between the battery chamber and the vent,wherein the gas sensor is disposed inside the cavity, wherein the gassensor is configured to detect the gas leaked from the batteryintroduced from the hole.
 16. The electronic device of claim 15, furthercomprising a camera module disposed in the housing in an outwarddirection of the electronic device, wherein the vent is disposedadjacent to the camera module.
 17. The electronic device of claim 15,further comprising a processor, wherein the processor is configured to:obtain a signal corresponding to gas information using the at least onegas sensor; determine a status of the battery based on the signal; andperform a designated operation based on at least the determination ofthe status of the battery.
 18. The electronic device of claim 15,wherein the processor is configured to perform an operation of updatinglog information related to the status of the battery as at least aportion of the designated operation.
 19. The electronic device of claim18, further comprising a display, wherein the processor is configured toperform an operation of displaying information corresponding to thestatus of the battery through the display as at least a portion of thedesignated operation.
 20. The electronic device of claim 15, wherein thecavity comprises at least one opening configured to discharge a gasleaked from the battery, wherein the at least one opening comprises: anopening formed to correspond to the hole; and an opening formed tocorrespond to the vent.